Relent Unwilling
by UhmInsertCreativeName
Summary: A boy born into the Naruto universe; is it truly our moments of decision that shape destiny? OC Insert.
1. Prologue

Title: Relent Unwilling

Summary: A boy born into the Naruto universe; is it truly our moments of decision that shape destiny? OC Insert.

A/N: First Fic, shoutouts to 'Dreaming of Sunshine' by Silver Queen, and 'Iryo-nin Kasa' by Vaengir. Huge inspiration. More on profile.

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **?**

 **Awareness.** This is something that I'm sure most newborns lack, to a degree. Everyone I've ever asked agrees. The fact that this was not the case when it came to my birth is a cause of great concern for many, and interest for many others. That doesn't make much sense, I know, but it will if you listen.

My name is Kohaku Nakano, and this is the story of my less-than-usual life.

Social interaction has taught me much, so I'll skip the gross bits. Just know that I've been aware since, in my opinion, the very moment of my 'conception'. Don't bother trying to ponder what it may have been like for me to be aware of being a _person_ , a being, a form- without yet having an actual body of my own. I'll help you avoid that by trying (my best) to translate my memories into words. As aware as I was, the concept of time was a very real thing to me, though being without sight or recognizable sound for so long left any hopes of TELLING time far from my reach. Thinking about it, that IS something you may be able to comprehend.

Imagine sitting in a room so dark you are left sightless, with your sense of hearing also restricted. The only thing to be seen, darkness; the only thing to be heard, your own thoughts. Could you keep track of the time? Could you count the seconds? If so, for how long? I'll let you go insane over that little concept later, for now, listen on. Left in that little dilemma as I was, there was also one more thing to plague me, one which I'm sure you can't perceive. There 'alone', I had the understanding that I was, but not WHO I was. Nor what, I suppose. After some time considering this all, my mind eventually tired, and I fell into a long rest.

I was woken from this rest, rudely I might add, by the event I've come to know as my birth. Skipping the gross bits as I said I would, here is the jist of what I felt; pressure, more pressure, movement, **cold, so cold,** confusion, warmth, and finally a temporary loss of awareness. As far as I've gathered, that temporary loss of awareness was caused by one thing.

 **Pain.**

The thing known as ones' chakra network is deeply interwoven with the body, and some go as far to say that it even stretches into the soul. Such an intricate thing begins growing the moment a child separated from their mother, as at that moment it is deprived of the nourishing chakra that was once being donated to sustain it. Trust me when I say it is not a pleasant thing, to this day I thank the pain receptors of my younger self for having the sense to knock me out. Unfortunately, this did not save me from the after-growth pains. Said pains are all I can remember for some time after waking from my reprieve. When they finally dulled, I was able to interpret that it had been several weeks since my birth.

Looking back on it, my understanding of time and well... things in general is rather confusing. Moreso than my general awareness after birth. I would think about how something felt, or what the blurry shapes I was able to see looked like, and ideas would pop into my head without reason. I had no logical way to explain how I knew the minor pains that racked my body were the effect of hunger, nor any proper way to express it to the beings I knew as my 'parents'. After a while, (I'm beginning to see a trend here), I learned to ignore these insights and live life simply.

In my and your own personal interest, I'm going to skip over a large portion of my life. The 'baby', and _'potty training'_ eras. I will say, I had gained a rather large amount of respect... or some may say love, for my parents for living through said eras. Being totally aware isn't all fun.

By the time my vision had cleared enough for me to see the world clearly, I had learned a number of things. The first and most prominent was that, in fact, there were no 'parents'. There was simply mother. Mother, Yuuko Nakano, was without a husband. The voice that I heard that I had assumed was my father was really that of the many in town who sought to help Yuuko get along as a single mother. The second was just that; we lived in some small village on the coast of some great ocean.

Mother and I shared many traits. Straight, wine red hair, pale complexions, amber eyes (I suppose that may be where she got my name), and feminine features. Yes, feminine features. All children at young ages may look a bit neutral, but this was not the case when it came to my self, as according to many, I look very feminine for a male. Despite being alone, mother always seemed strong. Not bothered by my constant neediness, not bothered by her lack of free time, and most of all not bothered by the attention she seemed to get from the other townsfolk.

Around when I turned one was a major turning point in my life. By then I could already say a few basic words, feed my self (to an extent), and mimic the actions of others around me (again, to an extent). These, as far as I was aware, were all normal infantile behaviors. What came next, though, was most definitely not.

A day like any other, I was taking a midday nap. Mother had plans for us to travel with a few friends to another village down the coast, something about reuniting with old friends. Everything was right, and my more-than-mature mind was eager to see the world outside our little village for the first time in a long while. Then suddenly, it hit me like an explosion. A bad dream. A bad dream about war, between various groups of ninja, their nationalities seeming to be made up of more than I even knew _existed._

When the dream, more of a nightmare, passed I woke up screaming and whining like any other infant. Mother eventually managed to calm me down, but this didn't stop me from thinking about the dream- which seemed to be ingrained into my memory all **too** clearly. I simply wasn't able to write it off as my overactive imagination working itself up, the visions had been far too detailed, even for the standards of an adult. The more I thought into it, the more a _terrible feeling of dread_ settled into me. Mother and I couldn't be allowed to go on our journey. Even if the nightmare meant nothing, I was far too shaken up to bother with traveling.

Thus, I did the one thing I could to force mother to remain home and abandon her plans. I fussed up a storm. I was as unreasonable as I could be at my young age, and although I knew it was for her good- I still felt terrible making Mother put up with me. It worked, to say the least. Having always had a rather calm child, she didn't take it lightly when I did act up. She canceled her plans with her friends, insisting that having the two of us travel to them would be all sorts of baby-disastrous. She stayed home and tended to me, and with that I was perfectly content.

... Until a the end of the next day, when I heard a local market-man discussing something with Mother.

The Third Shinobi War had begun, and nations all across the continent were being dragged into it.

Mother looked at this as a very lucky coincidence (at first), as it was clearly unsafe to be traveling at a time like this.

I looked at it as a sign. A sign of **terrible** things to come.

* * *

A/N: Wooh. Wrote this on a whim, though I'm looking to carry it on. I suppose this counts as a self insert? Who knows, read the story and maybe you'll find out.

Double props to Silver Queen and her 'Dreaming of Sunshine' fic, because of my semi-similar formatting.


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Relent Unwilling

Summary: A boy born into the Naruto universe; is it truly our moments of decision that shape destiny? OC Insert.

A/N: I'd just like to mention something. This story's timeline is going to be slightly accelerated for the first few... dunno, maybe chapters. It'll slow down as it goes along, obviously, but I don't want to just skip all of Kohaku's childhood. I'll introduce dialog and do a slight shift in perspective once he's at the stage where he can, y'know, MAKE DIALOGUE.

Bit about chapter length in the bottom A/N.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **?**

 _'I looked at it as a sign. A sign of **terrible** things to come.'_

Luckily our small village, located at the south end of the Land of Rivers, was mostly excluded from the fighting to the north. Mostly. The occasional stray ninja from either the Wind or Fire nations may have been seen here and there throughout the war, but there were hardly ever any problems. This peace, I must admit, did not extend to me. I was perfectly safe, yes, but not at peace. Oh no, that'd be too simple.

A few months after the incident, I had another vision- but this one, all though much smaller in scale, was much more frightening. At the time. It came to me while I was still in the world of the waking- being held in my mother's arms, gurgling happily like the infant I was. My body went rigid, and I saw a sight much more... personal than the last.

 _Mother had me in her arms as she walked about the marketplace, most likely looking to pick up ingredients for that nights dinner. After a few peaceful moments, there was a sudden shade that covered the two of us, the scene going black as a loud crash could be heard._

When I blinked back to reality, it was as if nothing had happened. Mother was still holding me in her arms, babbling nice words to me, quite safe. I remained alert for the rest of the day on a hunch, though nothing of note happened. It seemed that that time, it really had just been my own imagination. Or so I thought.

Two days later, my day had started out phenomenally. Slept for a while, played with Mother, ate, slept some more- and now, Mother was taking me out to the market place to get ready for what she called a 'special dinner'. I knew this was most likely going to be her treating herself to something while I ate my usual infant-esque food, but it was still exciting to be a part of something called 'special'. That excitement died the moment Mother carried me around the next corner, the scenery around me having become all too familiar.

Almost as soon as Mother began walking down the small lane I initiated plan A, cry-like-the-baby-I-am. Not unlike the last time, I caused a fuss, drawing the attention of all the other people who were milling about the market. Once again I soiled Mother's plans for an enjoyable time. A few moments after this began mother stopped and began to to tend to me. Up ahead, there was a shout of various 'look outs' as a large planting pot fell from above and shattered on the ground. All that managed to look up fast enough would see two very nervous boys on a nearby balcony, obviously having been goofing off, fleeing the scene shortly after.

While the majority of the witnesses were busy looking up, calling for someone to go find and scold the two boys, Mother was holding me tightly to her. Being as intelligent as she was, I'm sure she realized the implications of the situation. Had she not stopped walking, she very well may have been in the pot's 'flight path'. Needless to say, there was no special dinner that night.

That day's events confirmed my suspicions. Something (someone?) was warning me of events to come, and there seemed to be no real distinction as to _why_. I'd originally thought that these visions only pertained to me, or to perhaps my mother. This was proven to be wrong but a few days later. Mother was out on errands and had left me in the care of our neighbor, Mrs. Ueda. The idea that these visions were all of life threatening events was also thrown away, as it became known to me that unfortunately, at some point in the future, Mrs. Ueda would be returning from a trip only to come upon a broken-into home. All of this information was transferred to me via a rude interruption to my day in the form of another vision.

This is how my next few years went, seeming to pass by in the blink of an eye. Various days of what eventually became a boring routine; sleep, eat, be taught something by Mother. This monotony was interrupted every few days by the occasional vision, seeming to spring up randomly as I spent time near the various people shown in them. Being as young as I was, there was no logical reason I could use to express the dangers I viewed, so I only tried to stop the especially dangerous ones. Life threatening ones... I wasn't always successful. On one occasion, I was walking with mother through the market, and a vision hit me as we passed a specific stall.

The man was a regular in town, traveling all the way through the fire country despite the rough times, always turning back once he reached our village. He was, as far as the vision showed, going to be apprehended by a group of thieves on his way home; his life stolen along with the goods he peddled. I did try to warn the man, though being the four-year old I was, I couldn't go 'you're gonna get ambushed, don't travel tonight'. No, no, it went something more like...

 _'The nights have been spooky recently, Mister. Are you really sure you wanna go out there?' I asked as we passed by again, the man already packing his things as the sky began to darken._

 _'I'm sure I'll be fine, little Prophet. Run along now, you'll lose your mother.' he responded with a wide smile, tousling my hair a bit._

My reputation for seemingly happening to make people miss 'near death experiences' was a local rumor, more of a joke, hence his nickname for me. Very few people actually took my advice seriously, causing me to need to resort to forceful measures to ensure that they survived. Sadly, there was nothing I was able to do to stop the man, and he left town, heading towards what I assume was his doom.

While the thought of this did plague me for quite a while, I eventually let it go, deciding that perhaps some people were meant to die. There were no instructions included with this gift, so I couldn't have been expected to save everyone I encountered. There was a long period of calm, my senses only being invaded by the occasional minor vision here and there. I took this as a good sign, and I was right to. The next year, it was announced and official- the Third Shinobi World War had ended.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, the following ones will be much longer. Perspective change, too. And, perhaps the most exciting- ACTUAL DIALOGUE.

Also, wow, triple props to Silver Queen. I've just realized that the reference I've been using as a timeline was made by her. Srsly, check out her 'Dreaming of Sunshine' fic.

Also (also), I know reviews are a lot to ask for from the... 42 people who've viewed my story? Some probably being repeats? But I'd really appreciate them, especially about your preferential chapter length.


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Relent Unwilling

Summary: A boy born into the Naruto universe; is it truly our moments of decision that shape destiny? OC Insert.

A/N: Third chapter, already have TWO whole reviews? Woooh. Keep 'em coming. More below.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **?**

Thinking on it, I probably seemed like a rather strange child, all things considered. Not to the extent that people didn't want to be around me, more so I had quite a few strange habits that would take a second glance to get used to. For one thing, my overall appearance was rather... strange. Mother had often said that I should take pride in my hair (also commenting that it was 'better than hers', somewhat bitterly), and I may have taken that a bit far. By the time I was six it hung down further than my waste, the back done up in three separate tails, bangs pulled back and pinned to the sides of my head to simulate a headband or crown of sorts.

My usual outfit consisted of a black jumpsuit, sandals, a teal haori, and a white sash tied around my waste. This wasn't too odd, so I'd say it contributed to what made people find me so strange; how much I 'clashed' with my self. Eccentric hair and strange hobbies aside, I had (and still have) a rather straightforward, blunt, personality. There was no 'wildchild' under that mane of red hair, just a boy who often droned on and talked in circles.

I'd say my strangest (rudest?) habit would be my tendency to look around at my surroundings mid conversation. It's not as if I was looking for something, I've just always _had_ to know what was going on around me. I'd still keep the conversation, but I wouldn't necessarily be always looking at the person I was speaking to. Mother wasn't always thrilled about this, though she understood there really wasn't anything she could do to change it. The few times she took me to work with her, an event planning business set in the east of town, I always garnered quite a few odd looks from her coworkers.

No, on second thought, that was my 'strangest _normal_ habit'. My 'strangest habit' was, unfortunately, forced upon me by my... unfortunate gift. That being how when I'd get a vision of someone, I'd force my self to stop whatever I was doing- whether it was walking down the road, talking to someone, or even eating- and give the subject of the vision some cryptic peace of advice worded like a six-yearold would word something. They hardly took me seriously, causing me quite a bit of annoyance, especially on days where the visions would be especially pertinent.

It was on one such day where my life took another turn, whether it was for better or for worse, I cannot quite say.

* * *

"Kohaku! Come on, get up! It's nearly nine." Mother called from the hall, knocking on my door lightly. After a few moments I heard her step away, allowing me to safely groan in my resistance to the thought of getting up. That resistance didn't last long, replaced by fear, as after about five minutes Mother shouted my name again.

"I'm up, Mother! I'm up!" I called in response, getting out of bed and gathering my clothes for the day. After about an hour of bathing and fixing my mess of red hair into it's usual three-tail do up, I finally made my way into the kitchen where Mother was setting the table.

"I've got a meeting today with Mrs. Ueda, can I trust you to stay inside? I'll only be gone a few hours." she asked as I sat down, gazing down at me with her 'serious' face on.

I let out a giggle, folding my hands on my lap before responding, "Of course, Mother. I'll be a good boy." She continued to look at me for a few moments, her face shifting from serious to skeptical, before finally resting on a smile.

"Good. Now, eat up, I need to go soon." she chirped, patting me on the head.

I wasn't a good boy.

As soon as Mother left the house, I left as well, towards the west the side of town. I don't think I was inherently trying to disobey her and be bad, sitting at home was just so **boring** for someone with a mind as active as mine was. Today seemed especially... difficult, a _charged_ feeling in the air, as if all of my senses were on high alert the moment I stepped outside.

I walked down the street towards the village's main entrance, hands behind my back, occasionally being forced to sidestep a passerby. I really couldn't put my finger on it, but _something_ was causing me to feel more... awake, on edge. I drank in the sights around me as I walked; the occasional bit of green in the gravel roads, the children running down the alley as they tried to replicate a game of 'ninja', -all of the different people, really, down to the slight differences in the way each person walked. The sensation of gathering so much information at once was rather... tingly at first, but it slowly grew to more of a dull ache in the back of my head.

"Calm down, Kohaku, it's too early to be getting all worked up." I mustered, shaking my head and closing my eyes briefly. When I opened them, the scenery had changed- I was watching one of the children from before be scolded for causing some trouble. I realized what was happening after a moment, it was a vision, it was just startling- I'd never had one slip so casually into my mind. When the vision ended and my sight cleared, I was on the same road, walking at the same pace as I was before. "... I'll let him get in trouble, not worth messing with him." I decided with a nod as I continued my walk.

My walk continued rather uneventfully for a while, the dull ringing only seeming to worsen as I tried to think about something _other than it_. By the time I actually was within sight of the entrance I couldn't hear anything, the dull ringing from before now a full on blistering headache. I was about to stop walking when I felt my legs go out from under me, causing me to stumble forward and bump into someone. Before I could look to see who it was and apologize, another vision clouded my mind- this one hitting me harder than any before. It came in brief flashes, different images blinking by.

 _Men made out of a mountain, overlooking a colony of smaller people-_

 _Disaster, catastrophe, destruction-_

 _Two babies born, months apart-_

 _Death._

 _Loneliness._

 _Misunderstanding._

The last three were more of an... understanding, there was no real way for me to 'see' those things, but somehow the vision got it across. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

When the visions dissipated I found my self being steadied by a rather... strange looking man. He was tall, with pale white skin, and long ink-black hair. His eyes were a sickly yellow, framed by strange purple markings. Taking a quick step back I bowed my head, the ringing sound having dissipated. "Sorry mister, I got all dizzy." I apologized with a weak smile.

"Kukuku, It's fine, though you would do well to watch where you're stepping from now on. You never know how someone could to react to such a slight." the man responded with an unnerving smirk. Shaking off my initial inhibitions, I began my usual after-vision routine, starting with the person closest to me.

"Uuhh... Okay. But, uh, can I ask you a question?" I asked him, standing up straight and folding my hands behind my back once more.

"What is it?" the man replied, sounding vaguely interested.

"Are you supposed to be somewhere right now? Or uh, are you expecting any babies to be born? I know I'm supposed to be home right now." Not one of my best works, but I was still slightly disoriented from the earlier vision.

"Why do you ask?" he responded with a question of his own, interest obviously slipping his tone.

"No reason... You just uh, never know when bad stuff might happen. I got the feeling that you might be missing something really important somewhere else. What if you are?" was my reply as I took a slight step back, preparing to run off.

"Mm, not that I know of." he murmured, seeming lost in thought. After a few moments I was about to run off as planned, but he interrupted me with another question. "Your name, boy?"

"Kohaku." I blurted out, hoping he would leave it at that. It was unlikely, but being near the man was starting to give me an off feeling, and the ringing was returning.

His eyes twinkled at my reply, bringing another smirk to his lips. "Ahh, yes, I see... Let me ask, Kohaku- have you ever considered leaving this town? Learning to be something more than a fisherman's son?" he wondered, leaning forward slightly as I took another step back.

"My mother isn't a fisher...woman." I responded quickly, becoming slightly defensive. "And no, uh, not really. But I've got to get going, like I said, I should be home right now, so..." I added on, turning around and starting to walk off.

"You would do well, if you did. If you change your mind, I'll be leaving town tomorrow morning- I would take you away if you wished it. Make you... worthwhile." he called out, causing me to quicken the pace of my walk. The further I got from him the ringing seemed to lessen, to the point of disappearing when I reached home.

The moment I entered the home I made a beeline for my bedroom, collapsing onto my cot as it came within range. I was asleep within moments, my mind exhausted beyond belief. When Mother returned home she woke me up and got me to eat something, thought I returned to bed straight after, telling her that my stomach was bothering me. The ceilings and walls seemed to spin, my eyes tracking each crack and crevice in each, to the point that I fell asleep from exhaustion very early in the morning. Sleep yes, restful sleep, no.

My dreams were clouded by repetitions of the previous days' visions, constantly swirling about as the man's parting words to me replayed _over and over_ again. They were crazy, weren't they? Leave home? Leave Mother?

 _'But were they? Are you really happy remaining here? Are you happy leaving your questions unanswered? What will you achieve if you stay here? No, what CAN you achieve?'_ my mind seemed to respond to me, causing an internal conflict to arise.

It wasn't wrong, though. There wasn't much I could achieve at home, I would most likely end up as the man said- a fisherman. Even if I were to have the chance to leave again in the future, I will never -know-. I will never know why my visions reacted so violently to him, nor what the strange aura he seemed to permeate was.

Could I stand leaving Mother? Why was I even considering this? Who could that man have been? What can I do? What -should I do?-

Would Mother be all right? ...Would it be better for her if I left? It might be. Why am I thinking that?

I shouldn't... but I'm going to. I need to know. It's the right thing to do.

In the end, I would up gathering my things and leaving home.

It was early in the morning as I slinked through the streets, the sun barely rising over head as the towns earliest workers were already beginning their days. As I made my way back towards the main entrance the same old dull ache grew in the back of my head, though never rising to the level of a ring.

A few minutes after leaving home I arrived- the man was waiting there, smiling as if he had known of my approach.

"You've made the right choice, boy. Come, we have places to be." he called out, before turning and starting to walk off at a leisurely pace.

I ran on my short legs to catch up, being out of breath by the time I did. I followed behind him for quite a while, down the road, with nothing more than my clothing on my back. "Where are we going?" I mustered the question, looking up to him with a sense of rising regret.

"We'll be stopping at the next town over. After that, I'll take you to your new home for the time being... For now, tell me, what do you know of chakra? Were you taught anything in that village of yours?" the man responded.

"Uhh... ninja would pass through occasionally, some of them told me stuff. It goes through a system that's like, ingrained into our bodies right? Made of two parts, replenishes over time... Oh! Some of them also made it do some fancy stuff with fire and... fire." I babbled all that I knew of chakra to the man, folding my arms behind my head and looking all around.

"Kukuku, quite right, though lacking in a few places... So you've never done anything with chakra yourself? Tried, or perhaps had something happen unintentionally?" the pale man questioned, seeming eager for my response.

"...No I don't think so... unless uh, I don't really know what counts." I murmured, feeling a bit hesitant. Should I tell him about the visions? Should I not?

"What is it? Speak up, I'll tell you whether or not you're thinking of could apply." he urged, slowing his pace a bit to look at me as he walked.

"Uhm..." I paused to gather my resolve. "Sometimes I... see things about people around me, like uh... stuff that's going to happen to them. It's never very clear, nor are the targets, but they're always people near me."

"Truly? You see the future?" he seemed alarmed, stopping his walk completely.

"Uhuh... though, uh, it's never more than a few days in advance... except for a few special occasions." I replied with renewed confidence at the man's interest, feeling special.

"Such as? What were these special occasions?" he seemed intent on getting as much information as he could.

"Well, there was yesterday in town... When I got closer to you, I got kind of dizzy, and the air felt charged. I saw... lots of different stuff then, that's why I stumbled." I explained, focusing on looking at him as I spoke.

"Yes? What did you see?" he asked, not relenting.

"There were these... men made out of a mountain, looking over smaller people, some big catas- disaster, two babies born, and lots of... bad feelings." I frowned even as I explained, the memories coming back to me once again.

"Bad feelings?"

"...Like I had nowhere to go, there was some sort of misunderstanding- and I was dying due to it." I gulped out, going a bit white as the feelings returned themselves to my core.

"Ahh, yes... Kukukuku, this is- YOU are- much more promising than I originally thought." the main exclaimed, turning away from with a pleased smirk on his lips. "I'd originally taken interest in you due to you having very... potent chakra, but this is -much- more interesting. It changes things."

"Uh... does this mean I can't come with you now?" I asked, already knowing it was just the opposite. He was far too intrigued with me to simply let me leave.

"No, Kohaku, you'll be coming with me. There's just been a change of plans..." he trailed off, slowly turning back to me with a serious expression. "This is your chance for greatness, but you need to understand- it won't be pleasant. I'll make sure we learn to understand this gift of yours, but I need to know whether or not I have your cooperation... or are you going to resist this great thing I'm offering you?"

At first I took a step back, causing the man's eyes to harden and his stance to stiffen slightly. I stopped at that, and really considered... How badly did I want to know? What were the limits of this power? Was I up to the task?

 _'Yes.'_ was the uncontested response of my mind, the dull ache seeming to throb as I took a step forward.

"I'm willing, mister. I want to know." I responded, somewhat shakily, bringing a smile to the man's face.

"Good. You've made this easier for both of us, and I can appreciate that. I am Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, but we've yet to figure out who _you_ are. That's what we're going to achieve, and much... much more." the man purred, taking a step back and lightly raising his right arm.

Before I had time to register what he was doing, I felt a hard smack against the back of my neck- a tingly feeling coating my body before the world went dark.

* * *

A/N: Not much else to put here. One thing I will say, if the story seems to be progressing a bit fast- it isn't. This is actually how it would have gone down, and you'll need to keep reading to find out more. Why would Kohaku so readily agree to 's requests?

Peace, on to writing more stuff! \o/

(P.S. I'm thinking of doing another fic, moreso a journal that Kohaku would keep to track his visions. Would this interest anyone? It might serve as a point of interest for some of you, figure out some secrets?)

(P.P.S. thanks to you two reviewers, it means a lot to me ^_^)


	4. Chapter 3

Title: Relent Unwilling

Summary: A boy born into the Naruto universe; is it truly our moments of decision that shape destiny?

A/N: Some strange, uh, formatting? This chapter, but I hope you'll all enjoy it. More at bottom.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 _Orochimaru Hideout #?_

 _'My ambitions, though stained in blood, are still ambitions. They_ **will** _be realized.'_ \- ?

The sight I awoke to was one that I came to know very well over the next few years; a stone chamber who's plainness was only interrupted by a bed in the corner and a locked door opposite that. There really wasn't much else, the brownish stone walls seemed to have some decorative carvings in them, but nothing more. The bed's sheets seemed fresh. The only light in the room came from a rather large gap below the door, it flooding in from whatever room lay outside; not reaching the bed.

It was a few hours before there was any change, it coming in the form of a tray being slid under the door. "Huh?" I exclaimed, climbing off of the bed and walking over to inspect the tray. On it were three things, a meager amount of rice, a spherical pill of some sort, and what appeared to be a set of instructions. Confused, I grabbed the tray and walked it over to my bed, soon after snatching up the instructions and reading them the best I could in the dim room.

 _'You are to be isolated for an amount of time, it is expected that when you are contacted next you will have gained an understanding of your chakra system. Take the pill, and focus. Lack of results will be handled accordingly upon contact.'_

I scrunched up my face after finally managing to read the words on the paper, perplexed by it's vagueness. "An understanding of my chakra system? What?" I shook my head, flipping over the paper, though being disappointed when I realized the other side was blank. Tossing the paper to the side, I sat down on the bed and used my hands to eat what I could of the rice while I considered what to do. Too soon the rice was gone, and I was left with just the pill.

"I've come this far already, I suppose..." I breathed out, reaching forward and taking the pill into my hand. With a silent nod I took the pill, closing my eyes and sitting still.

As the moments dragged on and nothing happened, I tried to think on what else may be required of me, though nothing came to mind-.

Suddenly, it became _painfully_ apparent that I wouldn't need to be thinking anymore. My body felt as if it was burning up from the inside out.

I was distinctly aware of my body's 'center', where the burning hurt most, seeming to spread all throughout my body, though somehow in separate strands. I'd relate the feeling to the pain I felt in town, being acutely aware of everything around me- but now it was everything _inside_ me.

"AAAAAAAHHH! IT BURNS! MAKE IT STOP! HELP!" I screamed, curling up into a ball, recoiling soon after as the movement caused even greater pain. My senses heightened to the point that I couldn't feel **anything.** It was like being made again- the suffocating darkness returning as my vision blacked out.

An unknown amount of time later the pain disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving me in a state of numb-paralysis. At some point the door opened, and a man walked in. He was covered head to toe in dark clothing, all of his face but his eyes concealed beneath a mask. His forehead was covered by some sort of guard, the metal plating on it being blank.

"Alive, kid? Orochimaru-sama told me to show up when the screaming stopped." he asked, sounding rather bored. I gave no response, not wanting to test the possibility of inflicting more pain upon my self. "Tch, I don't understand why he's doing this. The kid's obviously trashed." the man exclaimed, lifting a finger and seeming to focus for a second. The finger then light up with some blue energy, the man soon shoving the finger into my arm. In that instant the pain returned tenfold, causing my consciousness to flee as a vision shoved it's way into my view.

 _'The man in the mask was walking out of my room, muttering to himself, when suddenly a sword is thrust through his throat from the side. As the sword retracts, the man falls to the ground... dead.'_

I awoke a gasp, scrambling away from the man and holding the victim-arm with the opposite hand.

"Oh, you're alive. I wasn't so sure. Keep staying down like that and you'll end up dead, kid." he sneered, turning around and muttering to himself. 'Really, what does Orochimaru-sama see in that kid? He seems pretty worthless to me...'

As the events from my previous vision played themselves through my mind again, I had the chance to call out the man- to tell him to stop moving- but I didn't. Something held me back, something that felt disturbingly similar to resentment, hatred. That hesitation doomed the man; the moment he walked through the door, his fate was sealed. The sword was thrust, and he was killed.

When the sword retracted out of sight there was no sound, no sound other than the pained gurgles of the man I'd just gotten killed. This horrific pause was broken by Orochimaru stepping over the man's body and into the room, no sword in sight. The light streaming in through the doorway made it hard to see him correctly, but I could tell he was grinning as he spoke. "Well done, Kohaku, you made it through the preliminary. And no doubt, when that fool was audacious enough to touch you with his chakra, you foresaw his death didn't you?"

I nodded weakly, looking away from him and down towards the body, my throat feeling strangely dry.

"Good, it seems I was correct, then." Orochimaru exclaimed, before taking a step forward as I put on a confused expression. "You see, I theorized that the reason your visions only seem to pertain to those around you was due to your chakra- also explaining why it reacted so strongly to one who has as much as I do. Having chakra as potent as you do can be a burden at your age- it was too constrained, your chakra system hadn't developed enough to contain it it all. This caused it to seep out and latch onto the chakra of those around you, thus instigating a response from your ability." he explained, seeming rather caught up in his brilliance.

"Then... that pill? What did it do? It hurt... a lot." I asked, looking up to him meekly.

"It fixed your problem- it forcefully caused your chakra system to mature, unlocking reservoirs you wouldn't have gained access to for a good number of years. This, while not increasing the amount of chakra you can produce, will allow it to remain sated within your body. There should be no more visions with the common folk this way, unless directly provoked via physical touch."

"I uh... understand, I think." I replied, honestly rather confused at the moment. "... What now? Is the rest of your teaching going to... hurt as much?" I whimpered the last bit, going a bit pale in the face as I remembered the sensations that the pill had caused me to endure.

"Perhaps, but you must understand- the pain is good. It is making you more efficient, I am giving you purpose! Kohaku, my boy, you're already becoming more useful. This fool was worthless, a grunt that could be replaced with a snap of my fingers- but you, you will serve me- yourself, well. If you keep on, you won't ever end up like this waste of time." Orochimaru exclaimed, lifting his foot and stepping on the body.

Watching the man be stepped on caused me to cringe for a moment, my mind hanging on the word 'useful' for a moment, before another thought overpowered it. _'That man... I let him die- no, I let Orochimaru-sama kill him... He called me worthless... yet Orochimaru-sama seems to think I have potential...'_ I paused, a slight smile coming to my lips, though it was weak. "If you can keep me from ending up like him, Orochimaru-sama, I'll do whatever you say. I need to understand where these visions come from- I can't die until then. They must have a reason for coming to me." I replied, the possibilities flooding my mind causing me excitement, despite their gruesomeness.

"Yes, yes... kukukuku, good. You understand- you will do well here. Now, walk with me my boy, I shall show you MY vision." Orochimaru cackled out, gesturing for me to follow him as he stepped outside. I stood up- the weakness from before seeming to be gone- and stepped towards the door. There was a brief pause as I reached the man's body, though it lasted no longer than a second, as I bravely stepped up and walked over his body to get through the door. I was vaguely aware of Orochimaru releasing a snake from his sleeve, ordering it to clean the mess up, before closing the door behind himself.

The hall was exactly the same as my room- plain. The same lanterns, doors, patterns- all evenly stretched down the walls as far as the eye could see. "What is this place, Orochimaru-sama?" I inquired as we began to walk to the left, mentally counting the number of doors we passed, just in case.

"This, my boy, is my masterpiece. Or a piece of it at least, one of many outposts hidden all around the continent that belong to the cause. The purpose of my forming this organization is so that skilled, or your case those that have the potential to be, ninja have a place to practice and hone their abilities without the five nations monitoring and restricting everything." he explained, gesturing out towards the stone walls with much grandeur.

"... But why wouldn't you want to work with the Great Nations? Aren't they amazing? I'm sure you could gain much from their funding." I asked, grossly ignorant of Orochimaru's opinion.

Orochimaru Tsk'd, looking down at me with a slight glare, causing my insides to freeze. "You'd be smart to quell that opinion boy... though I suppose I can't blame you. You've been taught wrong- very wrong. The Great Nations are made up of a bunch of old fools who refuse to see the change the world is taking- a bunch of warmongers. I've already tried once, and my own sensei refused to see the reason behind my work. People with your kind of potential are held back among the Nations, frankly."

I nodded slowly, resisting the urge to look behind me as we spoke. "Sounds... dumb. I don't wanna be held back." I replied, the great image I'd been taught to believe of the Great Nations slowly faltering.

"Better. You'll do fine if you keep that sort of talk up. Mm, yes, we're here-." Orochimaru noted, causing me to jump in surprise. You see, having been trying to be respectful, I'd completely zoned out on where we were heading while the conversation went on. Being respectful during conversation is such a drag. We'd arrived in some sort of medical lab, one with all sorts of things I'd never seen before. The thing that scared me most was the test tube- the size of a large person. In fact, it looked more like a glass holding chamber...

"You and I will be spending a lot of time here, Kohaku. But for now, you'll need to go to sleep for a bit. I need to... make sure you're physically able to be taught." Orochimaru chose his words carefully, looking down at me with a smirk. He pulled a small pill from his pocket, offering it to me. "Take it, unless you'd rather be awake?"

I took the pill without hesitation, and the world went black within moments.

I woke up an unknown amount of time later in my room, no body to be seen. My memories over the next few years are hazy for... reasons, I'm not really sure how to explain. I'll try to get to it. My everyday routine consisted of some form of physical exercise, a good few hours of studying, chakra exercises, a short break, and a final end of day checkup with Orochimaru or one of his scientists. After a while, I'd started to notice my deteriorating memory and began writing down important events, just in case. I'll give you the most important ones.

* * *

? Outpost ?

6 Months at Base, Kohaku Age: 7

I'd been here for about six months, counting my first day. Recently I've noticed some things- Orochimaru isn't around as often. I'm more often handled by his people, only seeing him once every few weeks. This confused me at first, though now it's filled me with a sense of... resentment. He's obviously off doing something more important than tending to my development, but what could it be? In his own words but a month a go, I'd progressed phenomenally so far! I could meld chakra to the point of levitating feathers, lift and compact water just using my chakra, and even cause cracks in bricks the size of my own body! Not only that, I'd managed to have a vision that stretched -two weeks- into he future, though overall not very important- it was still an improvement on my past attempts!

I'd been reading over the theory and instruction behind some basic jutsu and, despite not having tried, I'm fairly confident that I could pass any test your everyday genin would get. All of that, but he's found something more interesting to follow? What could he possibly be doing? Every time I've tried to ask he's told me that it was of no concern to me.

I've decided to ignore it for now and focus on improving- perhaps then he'll see that I'm worth all of his attention.

* * *

? Outpost ?

1 Year at Base, Kohaku: Age 8

Orochimaru has returned. The situation has worsened. He's brought a young boy with him, slightly older than I, named Kabuto. He seems intent on making this boy his pupil. Despite this, I can't find my self to be totally angry. Annoyed at being brushed aside, yes, but not... too distraught. I've realized something about Orochimaru that my younger self failed to see; he has an ego larger than that of a tailed beast. In my opinion, which may or may not be slightly biased, I think he's leaving me starved for progress on purpose. I've heard remarks from the instructors- my progress is astounding, this scares him.

Orochimaru can take interest in Kabuto if he wishes to- that simply allows me to grow without him poking in on everything I do. I've reached what I'd consider an adequate point for my age- I have the basic techniques covered, those that Orochimaru are a requirement for young genin of the Leaf. I've also been looking into genjutsu a bit, though this has left my taijutsu rather behind. I don't think I mind that much, far too dirty for my tastes.

I'll say, one thing that hasn't changed about me despite the past year is my appearance. I've had my clothes tailored or replaced, and my hair has been kept to about the saem standards.

The same can't be said for my memory. I've started to notice spots in it, more so than six months ago when I began keeping these logs. Part of me is starting to doubt that Orochimaru is involved, simply due to how involved he is with Kabuto...

* * *

? Outpost ?

1 1/2 Years at Base, Kohaku: Age 8 1/2

There are more and more people appearing here by the day. Over the past week five of note have appeared, all of them close in age to my self, maybe a year or two younger. One in particular arrived being escorted by Orochimaru himself. His name is Kimi... something, I don't really care. Orochimaru's interest, if anything, seems to be the same it was with me- Kabuto is still focused on just as much, if not more now.

The other four are... interesting, and have personality. Unlike Kimiwhatsoever. The fat one's the dullest of them all, though well mannered. Next is Kidotalksalot, who talks a lot, and seems obsessed with 'games'. Then there's... the twins, who's names I can't remember. They do something strange with melding together or something- I haven't bothered looking into it. The last one, perhaps the most amusing of all, is Tayuya. She's a redhead like me, and has a foul mouth. Watching her retainers try to put her under was rather amusing.

Other than making observations, I haven't bothered introducing my self. While they may be interesting, I've yet to see anything that makes them worthwhile for me to entertain.

Other than the increasing amount of followers Orochimaru seems to have gained, nothing special has really happened. I've reached what I consider the pinnacle of 'your average genin', and I've concluded three things. Chakra is easy to control, less than abundant, and wishy washy. In my case at least. For me, when focused, I can thread chakra as if it were silk, but the growth of my reservoir of chakra is... terrible. Alongside that, if I -do- happen to make a mistake, the results can be disastrous. Orochimaru, while he was still working with me, said this is likely due to how potent my chakra is.

There honestly should be more for me to write about, but I'm having trouble remembering at the moment. I've misplaced my notes as well... I think I'll talk to Orochimaru to see if he knows what might be going on.

Orochimaru actually gave me the time of day when I told him what had been going on. He had my head examined- there's apparently something going on my chakra, my spiritual half can't handle the exposure it endures while having the visions. Orochimaru believes there may be a way to fix this, but he said it would take a while. For my safety, I'm not going to be allowed to remain awake. This development seems to have exposed his interest in me once more.

I can't help but feel excited at the prospect.

* * *

A/N: That may have been a bit weird, the transition to more entry-like-format, but it's only for this chapter, and perhaps a few instances in the future. It's a way to show the progression of time in my story, while also including a curve in the plot that I've wanted to introduce anyway.

Thanks for the THREE reviews! Keep 'em comin'.


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